


The Bright Side

by SallyBMcgill



Category: Milo Murphy's Law
Genre: Implied/Referenced Suicide, Major Character Injury, Optimism, Understanding Milo, before Smooth Opera-tor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:13:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26027017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SallyBMcgill/pseuds/SallyBMcgill
Summary: After Milo ends up in the hospital for a serious injury, Zack finally snaps. Then Milo explains why the way he is despite dealing with Murphy's law.
Relationships: Melissa Chase & Milo Murphy, Melissa Chase & Milo Murphy & Zack Underwood, Milo Murphy & Zack Underwood
Comments: 4
Kudos: 46





	The Bright Side

**Author's Note:**

> So, you may recognize me from the fanfiction website, and I will be working on my current and new pieces pretty soon. For now, I will be posting my works on here too, and hope you can endeavor to be patient with me as I continue to work on updates and such for you all. Enjoy!

Zack watched Milo as he animatedly talked about any subject he could think of and couldn't help but wonder, How can he be so nonchalant about this? After the weekend he had by extension, he just didn't understand the way he just brushed all this off like it was nothing. Like this whole thing had been one truly horrid nightmare.

He had been lounging at home when he'd gotten the call three days ago. He hadn't been expecting any communication from any of his friends, since Melissa had plans with her dad and Milo had simply stated he had "a previous engagement", though refused to divulge the matter when asked. It was meant to be a quiet Saturday, a day of relaxation and no worries. Then, just as he prepared to partake in lunchtime with his family, the shrill ring from the phone sounded out from the living room.

His mom had pushed herself from the table and picked up the phone, her cheerful voice clearly heard by the entire household as she answered it. "Dr. Underwood, how may I help you?"

He'd been chewing on his spoon of lasagna when his mom called out for him, holding the phone out as he turned to face her.

"It's Melissa," she explained, a disturbed look on her face. "She says she needs to talk to you. She sounds... a little worried."

He'd swallowed his meal and gotten up, taking the phone and turning his back on the table as he proceeded to talk to his feminine friend. "Hey, Melissa, what's up? I thought you had that thing with-"

"Zack." He almost started at how serious she sounded. Melissa was usually so cool, it was rare she ever was feeling anything negative. Now she sounded almost unnaturally solemn and grave. "Milo's in the hospital."

Zack paused for a moment. He didn't understand why she sounded so worried, Milo practically lived in the hospital, from what he'd been told. He was in the Murphy Suite less than two month ago for his broken thumb. "Okay... why do you sound like that then? What's wrong, he's okay, right?"

There was a deafening silence on the other end. It lasted long enough for Zack to realize this was of greater concern then he'd originally thought. "Melissa..." He hesitated, afraid to continue lest the answer be something he didn't want to hear. Not now, not ever. "He's going to be okay, right? It's nothing too bad, right?" The worry he felt easily crept into his voice as he continued to question his best friend.

He heard a small sigh on the other end. "His parents called me about twenty minutes ago. Milo was actually working on another alert system on his house that Murphy's Law had previously ruined. His dad was needed at work and his mom had went shopping with Sara, so he was the only one who could do it. He... he fell off the roof while he was working and... their cable satellite fell off too." Zack sharply inhaled at the implications of that scenario. Melissa quickly added, "It didn't fall on him, but it knocked down one of the drainage pipes along the side of his house and it... Zack, it landed on his chest. Partially on his neck. It also caught his left arm and then the ladder fell on his head pretty hard and well... he was knocked out badly."

Zack could feel his heart thumping in his chest as he hastily inquired, "Melissa... he's going to be fine, right? It wasn't..." But he couldn't bare to finish that horrifying thought. Words like critical and fatal filled his thoughts as his concerns escalated.

"It's too soon to tell. I mean, he fell from the roof, which is already a blow to the head, then had things fall on him from the same distance. For now, his parents say no one can visit him but immediate family. He's going to need surgery for his arm mostly, and they need to do an MRI to make sure there's no permanent damage anywhere else. They'll... call us when he's better." He could clearly hear the quiver in her voice as she stopped talking. She said "when", Zack dazedly assured himself. He'll be okay, it's Milo, he's probably been through something like this a dozen times. He's not... He won't-

"Zack," he winced as Melissa said his name, gentler than he ever heard her say before. "It'll be okay. Milo, he's tough, tougher than anyone or anything. And I know he'll get through this just like he gets through every other calamity and misfortune that gets thrown his way. Don't worry. We just have to have a little faith." Zack had a distinct feeling she was reassuring herself with those same words. Milo was her best friend for longer than him, so he can't begin to imagine how worried she was.

But Zack couldn't help but wonder, if Milo could brush this off like he did for every other disaster, why did this one seem different? And why did Melissa, whom vouched for Milo's tenacity, sound like this time, it may have been too much? That this may have been the exception?

He'd seen the many patients his mom would operate on and he knew that some didn't make it, despite having seemingly minor injuries. So, what would a major knock on the head and crushed body parts do to Milo? Would he be like those other patients? For all he knew, this was it: Milo's final moment.

Rather than voice his thoughts, he weakly smiled and replied just as softly, "Yeah, I know." Then they'd hung up the phone to go back to their respective activities. Although, after that, Zack hadn't felt all that hungry anymore.

At school, he found himself and Melissa the receiver of many pitying and anxious looks from classmates and teachers alike, the news of Milo's state having spread to the public in a matter of hours. Despite their clear avoidance of the jinxed boy, most of the people were on friendly terms with him and their worry for him showed. Even Bradley was unusually quiet, no snide comments or anything.

Zack couldn't help but feel angry at the sympathetic attitude they were exhibiting. It's like they thought he was dead, like Milo wouldn't bounce back from this. A field goal post landed on him and he only got a broken thumb! He would get through this and those who gave up on him this easily didn't know him at all.

But at those times, he always forced himself to calm down. Getting mad at the people around him wouldn't help Milo's recovery and it certainly wouldn't make him feel any better about it. All he could do was wait all this out, "ride the wave", so to speak. He just had to breathe.

Time seemed to be a mix of a rush and a standstill as the days past, most of which he spent with Melissa or Diogee, whom was dropped off at his house by Sara, who had asked if he could watch him, since the family was staying at the hospital, and Diogee wasn't really allowed there right then. It kinda freaked him out, since it seemed as though her usually exuberant nature had been subdued in the face of the uncertainty with Milo.

Eventually, Milo's parents had picked them up from school on the third day, having gotten permission from their parents. Milo was out of surgery and would be just fine. He had a mild concussion and bruising on his ribs and collar bone, along with a couple contusions and fractures along his forearm, but nothing as serious as they'd originally had thought. He would need to wear a cast and bandages, but he would be better in a few months. He was cleared for visitors that day and had already seen his family and Diogee, who had somehow managed to sneak into the hospital to his room.

When they'd arrived, Diogee was in a chair with Sara sitting next to him, absentmindedly petting him as she awaited her parents return. Once the two friends had sat down, the Murphys left to get some take out, leaving them sitting around while waiting for the receptionist to okay their visit. From there, it seemed as though time was mocking them, passing by as slowly as it could.

Zack took a moment to glance up at the clock again. Still only ten minutes since he'd last checked the time. With the way the tension and anticipation threatened to choke him, he'd figured it was hours later in the day. But at most, they'd been waiting for less then a half-hour.

He took a moment to look over at Melissa, who was perched rather rigidly in the waiting room chair, Diogee settled in her lap, looking just as worried as the rest of them were, if that was possible. She had been visibly scared throughout this period, despite her attempts to play it cool for everyone. But it seemed that no matter how used to this situation she was, it wasn't any easier to handle.

Zack couldn't help but wonder how Milo's family dealt with situations like this. In fact, he didn't understand how Milo dealt with situations like this. The bodily harm, the disasters he unwittingly causes. And when you meet him, you could hardly believe this guy goes through things like this. His attitude is so happy and cheerful that, at first glance, you can come to the conclusion that nothing bad has ever happened to him. And Zack just couldn't understand how he could live like this.

Eventually, the friendly receptionist had waved them in, Diogee included. The walk down the hospital hallways were unnerving, the anticipation of the past few days continuing to stress him, making it hard to breathe. Then they were standing in front of the Murphy Suite and Zack could feel the panic threaten to overwhelm him. Would Milo truly be okay? Like, would he be grotesquely covered in machinery and bandages? What if, before they get inside or while they were visiting, he relapsed or something else that ends in an emergency surgery or requires a defibrillator, and then, just like that, Milo's-

He felt a hand on his shaking shoulder and turned to see the reassurance on Melissa's face. "He's right inside, Zack. He's fine." Sparing a small grin as he took those words to heart, he took a deep breath before he opened the door.

"Oh, hey guys." Milo cheerfully greeted from the bed. He was sitting upright, wearing the standard blue hospital gown and they could see the fruits of his accident all over his body. His left arm was in a blue sling, bandages wrapping it as well as his neck and probably his chest, based on the report of his injuries. There was also a bandage wrapped around his forehead, just underneath his hair.

But besides that, he looked okay, acting exactly like the Milo they all knew and cared for. Even now, he was questioning them about school and other casual things, dismissing any inquiries about his injuries, proclaiming they weren't so serious and nothing worth worrying about.

And it was confusing the heck out of Zack, as well as extremely irritating him. He himself had been in a constant state of anxiety since he'd gotten that phone call, scared out of his mind that his best friend would be broken beyond repair, dealing with the weight of other people's pity and distress, and here was his first friend, so upbeat, like this was just a day at the carnival. He. Didn't. Understand. Anything!

Now Milo was absently rubbing his neck with his right hand. "It's just a dull ache now. Trust me, it could have been much worse. I was very lucky."

Zack could feel himself trembling in his seat. He called having a serious head wound and almost crushing his arm and chest LUCKY?!

"Does it hurt?" He could hear Melissa's question faintly, as though he were a million miles from this area, just watching this all happen from afar. "We heard you think quite a fall before. Brought down both the ladder and parts of your house on yourself."

"No, no, everything is fine. I mean, most times when I'm in the hospital, I don't really know-"

And then Zack finally snapped. "How can you not know?" Both Milo and Melissa turned to stare at him, equal looks of shock on their faces as they noticed the tenseness of the brown-skinned boy, as well as the angry expression on his face.

"Uh, Zack? Are you feeling okay?" Milo tentatively asked.

"It's not about what's wrong with me. I just can't get you, Milo." Zack huffed, seemingly angrier at the innocent confusion on his bedridden friend's face. "Me? What about me?" The pale-skinned boy questioned curiously.

"I just can't understand how you can be okay with all of this. You're in the hospital after you were nearly crushed in several parts of your body. And my mom's a doctor whose worked on cases worse than this, so I know it could have been worse. The past few days, I've been worried out of my mind if you were going to be okay or if this was the incident where you finally kicked the bucket! I just-" Suddenly, Zack stopped, shoulders sagging as if the fight had been forced out of him. "I can't comprehend your ability to smile in the face of all you go through, especially life-or-death situations like this."

There was a moment of tense silence. Zack's head was in his hands as it seemed the adrenaline and worry of the previous week was draining him of all his strength.

"Zack," he heard his friend say quietly. "Did I ever tell you about my great, great, great, great uncle, Denise Murphy?" Zack looked up to see a sober look on Milo's face and he was extremely startled by the wistful tone in his voice. Milo never sounded like that. And although he'd been ticked off by the optimism a moment ago, the solemn attitude seemed wrong on his friend.

Taking a moment to glance at Melissa, who was stubbornly avoiding his gaze while biting her bottom lip, he answered, "No, who-" But Milo cut him off before he could say anything more.

"He's kind of a black sheep in the Murphy family tree. I mean, as far as health goes, he was perfect. Good physical form, nice complexion. Basically, had everything you could ask to be born with. But he was one of the worse members of my family. Someone who let Murphy's law define him. He saw that's there was no point in life, that there was nothing he could get out of life. It got worse with each trip to the hospital, each destruction of property, each time something or someone got broken or hurt around him. And that was an attitude he carried for most of his life. He had no friends, no life nothing. And that had just as much to do with his cadence " Milo softly explained. "Do you know what happened to him?"

Taking a moment to shoot another glare at Melissa, he shook his head, honestly unsure where this tale was going. Milo stared him right in the eye as he answered. "He killed himself when he was eighteen. Just barely an adult, but not quite not a kid. He barely lived his life before he decided he couldn't take all of this calamity that happened to and around us. And it was by refusing to leave the car when it was hanging over a cliff with his dad and brother, Tomas! The original Murphy, Edward A. Murphy, he... he was devastated, as was Dennis's brother, my great, great grandfather. I'm sure in Dennis's eyes, he was doing the world a favor. One less Murphy was less a chance of having disasters and unfortunate things come to past..." Milo turned to look out the window, an intense look on his face as he watched the sunny day.

"Milo..." Zack was not sure how to respond to that, "I-" Milo spoke over him. "Since that day, we've made a pledge. While, more like a philosophy really, to never let these hard times overcome us. We seize every good moment we get and never let any negative aspects in our lives get us down. Murphy's law is terrifying, Zack. And there are times when I wake up and wonder whether all the pain I suffer and all the destruction that happens... whether it's worth my existence. Or anyone in my family's existence."

Zack could hear the sharp intake of breath Melissa took beside him while he simply gaped at Milo. Did Milo truly think that way? "Gosh, Milo, I-"

"By all accounts, I should feel and be the same way he was. But..." And here, Zack was beyond startled when Milo shot a big, sincere smile in his direction, "I remind myself that I'm not alone. That I don't just have my parents or Sara. I also got you two."

"What?" Melissa asked, speaking for the first time in what seemed like forever.

"You guys are my best friends. And despite how much Murphy's law messes up our lives sometimes, you two still stick by me. You didn't have to. You could have been like everyone else, who are just friendly to me, but keep their distance. You could have chosen to live normal, danger-free lives if you wanted to. And yet, you guys brave the danger and obstacles I inadvertently cause to be my friend. And that means the world to me."

Here, Milo looked down bashfully, absently tracing patterns on his sheet. "So, just so we're clear, I would never be like Dennis, because I could never hurt my family or you guys the way he hurt his folks. I just never let my misfortunes get me down and always remind myself that I'm lucky enough to have the two greatest friends in the world. And even without factoring you guys, I remind myself that my life is interesting to the max. I've been abducted by aliens, discovered an underground civilization and gotten a mix of ice cream and cake literally fall from the sky. I've lived a great life and I wouldn't ask for any of it to change."

Zack couldn't help but smile at that. It was almost overwhelming, how much his friendship meant to the hospitalized teenager. He never realized how much he took it or life in general for granted until Milo pointed out the chances of anyone else risking their lives for a companionship or even association.

"It's like my dad always says, there's no friendship better than the ones you risk your life everyday for." Milo cheerfully stated.

It was than that Zack, for the first time since he'd gotten that call about his friend, gave out a big, hearty laugh with his two best friends.


End file.
